Vivian Blake (11 May 1956 – 21 March 2010) was a Jamaican drug kingpin who founded and operated the American operations of the Jamaican Shower Posse.

Background

Blake was born to a poor family in West

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

, but was granted a scholarship to a private high school, St. George's College. He moved to New York City in 1973, where he started distributing

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in variou ...

and

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Am ...

, eventually expanding his network nationwide. According to ''New York Daily News'' columnist Patrice O'Shaughnessy, in a column printed on 30 March 2010, Blake is credited with the dubious distinction of being "one of the creators of crack." During the 1980s, also according to O'Shaughnessy, Blake was responsible for flooding Bronx localities such as Soundview, Crotona Park and the

Bronx River The Bronx River (), approximately long, flows through southeast New York in the United States and drains an area of . It is named after colonial settler Jonas Bronck. Besides the Hutchinson River, the Bronx River is the only fresh water river i ...

with tons of cocaine and crack cocaine. Blake and other gang members were charged in a multiple killing in Miami, but he escaped apprehension by travelling to Jamaica. After later charges were added, he was extradited to the United States in 1999. In 2000, he pleaded guilty to charges including racketeering and conspiracy, and admitted to his role in the gang. He was sentenced to 28 years, but was released on parole after eight. After being released from prison, Blake returned to Jamaica. Blake died on 21 March 2010 at the age of 53 after being admitted to University Hospital of the West Indies for a heart attack. At the time of his death, he was suffering from

kidney disease Kidney disease, or renal disease, technically referred to as nephropathy, is damage to or disease of a kidney. Nephritis is an inflammatory kidney disease and has several types according to the location of the inflammation. Inflammation can ...

and undergoing

dialysis Dialysis may refer to: *Dialysis (chemistry), a process of separating molecules in solution **Electrodialysis, used to transport salt ions from one solution to another through an ion-exchange membrane under the influence of an applied electric pote ...

References

1956 births 2010 deaths 20th-century criminals Jamaican drug traffickers Jamaican emigrants to the United States Jamaican people imprisoned abroad People extradited from Jamaica People extradited to the United States People from Kingston, Jamaica Shower Posse Yardies {{crime-bio-stub

Background

See also

References